With 11,000 fresh eons, Lucifer already began prep plans, “Let’s head to a restaurant! I wanna see if cola transcends reality, just like stress did! I haven’t had one of those in a good… minute…?”


    Kai didn’t argue against the idea, he, himself, wished to check those too, especially since Further Avatars have extra sensitive taste buds! He was, in fact, quite ecstatic at the idea.


    They’d almost begun motion, suspecting Ryna to lead the way, however something unexpected happened.


    “Can Ryna and friends… detour?” she began her request while shaking.


    Lucifer raised an eyebrow, wrapping himself around the nature of the question. Was the kid getting home sick?


    “Pretty please?” she pleaded further, something new to Lucifer. An act he could not go against, thus agreeing almost instantly without pressing for further details.


    As they left the pawnshop, the trio stepped onto the city streets. The scenery was simplistic despite the medieval houses and streets blending in harmonious sync with the modern buildings and the hum of passing vehicles, a stark contrast to the quiet resolve etched on Ryna’s face. She walked ahead, her small frame weaving through the crowd with a sense of urgency.


    Lucifer and Kai followed, their earlier excitement over their newfound wealth, now replaced with curiosity and concern.


    The city around them shifted as they moved deeper into a less affluent area. The towering blocks gave way to smaller, older buildings with faded paint and cracked facades. Shops became fewer, replaced by street vendors selling simple wares and food carts emitting savory aromas.


    The streets were narrower here, lined with uneven cobblestones that echoed their footsteps. The crowd thinned, and the buzz of the city dulled into the quiet murmur of neighbors chatting from open windows or stoops. Despite the clear signs of poverty, there was an undeniable charm in the area—a sense of community in the way people greeted one another or shared small jokes.


    Ryna finally stopped in front of a modest apartment complex. It was a squat, four-story building with weathered brick walls. The metal railing of the external staircase was rusted in places, and the sign above the entrance was missing a few letters. Yet, small touches spoke to the tenants’ efforts to make the place a home. A patch of flowers grew in a makeshift garden by the entrance, and a string of colorful lanterns hung across the stairwell, casting a warm, inviting glow.


    Lucifer, before setting foot inside the building, looked back one more time. A sense of beauty was hidden in this place, in the park-like garden that served as playground for the kids living inside the buildings surrounding it. It even had swings and slides of violet, red and yellow. A sight he quite enjoyed.


    “Lucifer?” Ryna claimed his attention before continuing, “This is it”, her voice laced with a mix of embarrassment and pride.


    They climbed the narrow stairs to the third floor, where the girl pushed open a door to reveal her family’s apartment.


    The apartment was small but clean and well-kept. The living room, kitchen, and dining area were combined into a single space. A tiny, worn sofa sat against one wall, its cushions patched in several places. A low table in front of it bore a few neatly stacked books and a small vase of wildflowers. The floor was spotless, the wooden planks polished to a dull shine despite their age.


    The walls were adorned with a few framed photos and hand-drawn pictures, most likely Ryna’s creations from her childhood. A threadbare curtain separated the main room from the small bedroom where her little brother lay.


    Despite the obvious poverty, the home radiated warmth. It was clear that every item, every detail, was cared for with love and effort. The space, though limited, felt like a sanctuary—a stark contrast to the hardships it concealed.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Lucifer and Kai stood quietly, taking in their surroundings. The simplicity of the apartment was humbling, yet it held a quiet dignity that could not be ignored.


    An ugly, rasping cough broke the silence, cutting through the room like a jagged knife. It came from behind the threadbare curtain, raw and wild, carrying with it the unmistakable weight of pain and struggle, and from that very room a woman appeared before the trio. She was visually older than the two goofs tagging alongside Ryna, so it was safe to assume it was her guardian. She and the girl traded looks as if holding an extremely long conversation in just under a moment.


    “My name is Reina, and I’m this girl’s mother” she revealed to nobody’s surprise.


    She was a picture of quiet resilience, the kind born of years spent battling the relentless tides of misfortune. Her appearance was plain but dignified—shoulder-length dark hair, streaked with threads of silver, was tied back into a practical braid. Her eyes, a deep, cosmic black, held both weariness and a fierce determination that refused to fade despite the struggles she bore. Those same eyes also betrayed the sleepless nights she succumbed herself to. There was a quiet grace about her movements—a deliberate economy that wasted neither energy nor time.


    The woman stood aside, allowing her daughter to take a step towards her twin. Ryna froze mid-step, her cat ears twitching sharply at the sound. Her tail bristled slightly as she turned toward the source, her face pale with worry.


    “Salio…” she whispered, her voice trembling. She rushed toward the curtain, her movements hurried but careful, as though afraid to disturb the fragile peace of the home further.


    Lucifer and Kai exchanged glances, their expressions somber. The cheerful bravado that had filled the earlier part of their journey was gone, replaced by the heavy realization of the hardship this family endured. Lucifer followed Ryna slowly, his steps deliberate. Behind him, Kai lingered, his gaze momentarily fixed on the small details of the room—the repaired furniture, the careful arrangement of items—a testament to a mother’s tireless effort to create a haven amidst hardship.


    As Ryna pulled back the curtain, the dim bedroom was revealed, and inside it a little boy, bedridden. Details began to click inside Lucifer’s mind. All this time, Ryna...


    The boy’s face was pale, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead despite the cool air. His chest heaved as he struggled to breathe, each cough rattling through him with a force that seemed too great for his fragile body to endure.


    “…too slow...” she mumbled, her whisper breaking character, “If only I was faster…”


    Lucifer took note of the phrasing with a raised eyebrow.


    She collapsed to her knees beside the bed, clutching her brother’s frail hand as sobs wracked her body. Her guilt and frustration spilled out, filling the room with heartache.


    Luke stood in the doorway, silent. His usual confident demeanor was replaced with a pensive expression as he processed the scene.


    Ryna’s mother stepped into the room, placing a comforting hand on her daughter’s shoulder.


    Her voice steady but filled with sorrow. “This sickness...”


    “We don’t know much about it or the situation at all” Kai continued, pressing for further details “If you could, kindly, tell us what’s going on here”


    “It… it took their father too,” she said. “He worked hard through it, hoping to earn enough for… at least one cure, if not two. But... he didn’t make it.”


    Lucifer’s eyes darkened at her words. He clenched his fists, feeling an unfamiliar frustration bubbling within him. His body? Capable of crushing down the very thread of reality, a power no fool would stand against… But it was not a power that could build… Nor heal… In other words, he was powerless for the first time in epochs.


    The room drowned in sorrow.


    Lucifer pointed towards a coin he pulled out, asking the girls if the 11,000eons were enough. The mother frowned, appreciated the gesture, however it was only enough to move and keep him into a hospital for a little bit. That sickness was special. It was not easy to obtain, after all. One would have to go to lengths in order to acquire it... or would need extreme bad luck.


    The mother began, offering a glimpse into the awful luck they''ve lived with so far. "The sickness itself cannot be contracted normally. Simply being in the presence of someone who has it is not nearly enough to spread it..." She took a deep breath, as if calming her fury directed at the universe, and continued. "Blood... Blood is the only liquid that can carry the bacteria to others. A scratch is enough, and he worked in construction... That''s how, I assume, he''s got it... A disease that will only react to type 0 blood, the same blood that runs through both the boy and his father''s veins."


    The ill will eventually, and guarateedly, pass from the disease. The only hope was to find about the infection early… And they… did not.


    Ryna has gone through too much turmoil by now. This, combined with the stress from the dungeon dive, exhausted the kid. As a result, she had fallen asleep on the floor beside the bed. Her mother draped a blanket over her, her expression softening as she picked her up and moved her into a nearby bed.